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Obama

December 30, 2009

BACKGROUND: If you came of age during the 1990s, then you know how memorable Bill Clinton was when he was President of the United States.

After vanquishing the seemingly invincible George Bush in 1992, Clinton presided over a fascinating time in American history. As the Internet grew in popularity and the economy boomed, Clinton shifted to the right in both his approach to foreign affairs and domestic issues. It's hard to believe that a Democratic chief executive launched military excursions in Iraq and the Balkans, significantly curtailed welfare and actually reduced the federal deficit. If a Democrat did that today, Republicans would likely praise that person as the second coming of William McKinley (or, more likely, Ronald Reagan).

But Clinton did not endear himself to the right when he was in office. Part of this disgust may have stemmed from jealousy over Clinton's political maneuvering, which included "triangulating" a lot of Republican ideas. Yet Clinton's sometimes abrasive personality and dangerous liaisons probably didn't help either.

Bill Clinton received a lot of criticism during the 2008 election cycle for various reasons, as it became big news when the former president would say something controversial while Hillary Clinton was campaigning. But when he came to Columbia in the midst of a testy primary battle with Barack Obama, Bill Clinton showcased for Columbia why he was likely elected in the first place.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: As you can see, many presidential contenders made this list. But I found Clinton's speech to be one of the best. Not only was the address substantive - Clinton managed to back up every argument to vote for his wife with some notable reasoning - but I think he managed to keep the audience interested even though it was a lengthy speech.

Clinton is one of the most paradoxical presidents, mainly because his successes are sometimes overshadowed by his high-profile failures. His foreign policy initiatives in Ireland and the Balkans probably did a lot of long term good. But he's been criticized for his response to terrorism and for his lack of action in Rwanda. On the domestic front, he seemed to stay out of the way of the booming economy. But he also took stances on abortion, gun control and taxation that provided openings for the Republicans further down the road. And even though managed to easily escape being removed from office, the fact that it was considered in the first place probably isn't good for his legacy.

Even though this aforementioned legacy will take some time to formulate, Clinton's abilities as a speaker probably aren't in question. He seemed to be adept at persuading people that he could productively solve problems. That's what he showed on his visit to Columbia.

BACKGROUND: When a candidate is campaigning for state representative or state senator, it's reasonable to expect that the person knows simple qualities about people they introduce.

But things get trickier when a person is campaigning for Vice President of the United States. For someone like Joe Biden, unless he's campaigning in Delaware or parts of Pennsylvania, he probably depends on staffers to give him notes about prominent individuals at rallies. And on a September day on the campaign trail, somebody screwed up really, really, really bad.

Soon after Biden started speaking to a packed crowd at the Columbia ARC, he started going through a list of elected officials. The first stumble came when he listed off a couple of people - such as departing state Rep. Jeff Harris - who were definitely not in attendance. After every introduction, Biden would tell each elected official to "stand up" and be recognized.

Biden went through the same routine when he got to Sen. Chuck Graham, a Democrat who had been an early and active supporter of Barack Obama. He told Graham - who has been in a wheelchair since he was a teenager - to "stand up." And with that, Columbia became one point on the map for Biden's many gaffes.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Yes, this moment received a lot of attention on the Internet and on some late night television shows. And it probably wasn't Biden's best moment. But it should be noted that Biden noticed his flub right away, immediately apologized and greeted Graham personally. It could have been a lot worse.

And in the end, I don't think Biden's gaffe had much of an impact on the 2008 election cycle. But the moment was memorable, which is why it's on the list. Also, a subpar video I made of the incident is still my most watched Youtube clip.

FUN FACT: In 2009, I decided to join the ARC. I have spent many winter months running at least two miles on the superb elevated track. I used it a lot less during the summer, as I typically prefer to run outdoors.

The subtext of the visit was pretty clear. Obama had barely won the Missouri Democratic primary by capturing big margins in some of the state's urban areas. But he did pretty darn terrible elsewhere, allowing then-Sen. Hillary Clinton to nearly swipe the state away. In the end, Obama won a plurality of votes, even though the two candidates evenly split delegates.

Obama spoke for a pretty long time in Rolla. In addition to making a somewhat controversial statement about how he "wouldn't look like presidents" on currency, he spent most of the event taking questions from the overflow crowd. He talked about the economy, foreign affairs and issues involving veterans. When he was through, he made a stop in Union and called it a day.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: I put this on the list for the same reason I included the Kirksville debates. I thoroughly enjoy visiting different parts of the Show Me State. And this trip gave me a chance to scope out Rolla, a Republican-leaning area that's the homebase of the Carnahan family. Plus, it was interesting to see Obama speak in an area that was probably out of his political reach.

FUN FACT: One other great thing about going to Obama's Rolla event was meeting Leslie Spencer. The Democratic activist was standing outside the event with a "Rednecks for Obama" banner.

I'm not sure if Obama succeeded in attracting the "redneck" vote in Missouri. But I'm guessing that some in that self-professed group in North Carolina, Indiana and Virgina helped put Obama over the top.

After all, Columbia is widely seen as a blue refuge of sorts in the red ocean that is central Missouri. And given the supposed importance of Missouri in last year's election, it seemed only natural for Obama to raise spirits in friendly territory.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: The truth is that Obama didn't really need to win Missouri to become president. He was already poised to win traditionally red states like Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina. And he was pulling ahead in traditional swing states like Ohio and Florida. That assumption came true when Obama narrowly lost the Show Me State to John McCain on Election Day and still won the election.

Even though Obama prevailed in places like St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia, his campaign faltered in outstate Missouri. That happened even though candidates such as Jay Nixon, Robin Carnahan and Chris Koster did reasonably well in those areas.

Moreover, Obama's stop in Columbia didn't help Judy Baker beat Blaine Luetkemeyer in the Ninth District congressional race. And though the GOP lost a hotly-contested race for a state representative seat, Republicans surprisingly won a state Senate seat for the first time in a generation.

No doubt Obama's visit was an exciting event. But in terms of impact, the shindig showed that Obama's coattails in Boone County only extended so far.

FUN FACT: I once saw a "Rednecks for Obama" bumper sticker on a Toyota Prius while riding with my cousin in St. Louis. I'm not trying to stereotype here, but what are the chances that a so-called "redneck" would drive a Prius?

December 01, 2009

Obama made the announcement official tonight in a national speech from West Point. His plan would send roughly 30,000 troops to the war-torn country for an 18 month period.

Here's the freshman lawmaker's statement:

“After much
delay, it is good to see that the president and the administration have finally
decided to give our troops critical resources that they need to move forward
with our mission in Afghanistan. I look forward to working with my colleagues
and military commanders to ensure that our troops have the resources they need
to complete their mission and return home safely. We must never waver in our support
for our men and women in uniform as they stand on the front lines of freedom
and fearlessly fight to protect our nation and families.”

Rand Paul happens to be Rep. Ron Paul's son. The elder Paul, R-Texas, shook up the 2008 presidential race by raising tens of millions of dollars and enlisting a vocal coalition of supporters.

From the article:

Capitalizing on a hearty distrust of government and an
anti-Republican-establishment fervor among conservatives, he has used
the Internet to raise more than $1.3 million since he began his
campaign in August.

“This primary is really about the future of
our party,” said Dr. Paul, 46, who has lived in Kentucky since 1993 and
has never run for public office before.

“The Republican
platform specifically says we don’t believe in bailing out private
business, and yet we did,” Dr. Paul said in a break between cataract
operations. “The Republican platform also specifically says we don’t
believe in government ownership of private businesses, and yet a lot of
Republicans voted for that.”

Dr. Paul has seen a surge in
popularity and fund-raising in the last several months, setting the
stage for what pundits here say could be one of the most expensive and
competitive primary contests in state history.

I had the chance to interview Ron Paul several times last year. He talked about his Internet popularity, his positions on foreign affairs and his take on whether the U.S. should go back to the gold standard. You can read one of the interviews here.

October 20, 2009

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder stepped up criticism of the federal health care legislation today, warning that a provision forcing the state to raise Medicaid eligibility could cause a budgetary calamity.

The federal health care debate is a monstrous and constantly evolving process. But one provision that has a strong chance of being in a final bill is a requirement for states to include all adults above 133 percent of the federal poverty level in Medicaid. Missouri's current eligibility rates are much lower than that number.

Based on the bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month, the federal government would pick up most of the expansion's cost. But states, such as Missouri, would have to pay a percentage of the increase.

Republicans - and some Democratic governors - have spoken out against the proposal. Kinder cited Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's opposition in the video below:

Scott Rowson, a spokesman with the Department of Social Services, said that number cited in the letter was an accurate estimate based on the provision's parameters in August. He said a new estimate taken earlier this month based off the Senate Finance Committee's bill would put the cost at about $91 million for the state.

It should be noted, however, that the parameters of the Medicaid expansion provision are not set in stone and could change. And that figure above is predicated on whether the federal government pays for the expansion indefinitely. If the feds stop paying for the expansion, then the state would be on the hook for a whole lot more money.

Also worth noting is that the change would only go into effect if Congress actually passes health care legislation, which is not necessarily a sure thing. But most people I talked to this week agree the Medicaid provision has a strong chance of making it into the final bill.

I asked Nixon about this top and also asked if the Medicaid provision made him not sign a letter expressing support for the federal health care effort. Take a look: